Last night's dinner: Roasted pear with goat cheese and fig vinaigrette on baby arugula with Walnut pesto, pear slices, roasted red bell pepper and arugula sandwich.

(Even the kids scarfed this down and ate the leftovers for lunch today).

I must have more creativity flowing through my veins than I give myself credit for, because these past few months, I have been unable to stop searching for new and more difficult knitting patterns, new and unusual recipes, and even perusing my Dwell issues for more interior design inspiration.

Tonight's appetizer - cucumbers with a spicy Asian sauce. Yum.

My sister, Rachel, taught me to knit a few years ago. It was probably the best gift she could have given me. Since she first taught me, I have immersed myself in projects far beyond my skill level, finding that you truly can figure just about anything if you have access to some good knitting resource books and the internet! Oh, that and a certain level of fearlessness. Knowing that you might, perhaps, accidentally knit a rose pillow approximately 75% smaller than it was intended. Or that the multi-colored throw might take you a year to finish. Unlike my sweet sister, Rachel, though, I will work on multiple projects at a time. So if one stalls out, I just work on my others.

I recently purchased several knitting books and have been plowing my way through them. I absolutely love the purlbee blog (see my sidebar) for its constantly inventive knitting projects (not to mention their sewing projects!). I knit Rachel some Mary Jane slippers...I'll post a picture of them if she'll ever come home and bring them with her.